About Hamedan
Hamadan is one of the oldest continually inhabited towns, centers of civilization, and numerous capitals of different dynasties that have ruled Iran through the ages. Capital of the province of Hamadan, at the foot of Mount Alvand, and located at an altitude of 1,829 m above sea level, it is 400 km to the southwest of Tehran by road via Qazvin, and can be reached by air as well. It is a trade center for a fertile farm region where fruit and grain are grown.

In the modern Hamadan that is built on the plans prepared by the German architect Karl Fritsch, nothing is left to be seen of ancient Ecbatana of the Medes’ capital before they formed a union with the Persians. It was the residence of Achaemenian Kings, and the summer resort of the Parthian and Sassanian dynasties due to its strategic vicinity to Ctesiphon. In the 7th century AD Hamadan was passed to the Arabs, and it was later held by the Seljuk Turks (12th-13th centuries) and the Mongols (13th-14th centuries).Hamadan’s climate is mild and delightful in summers, and cold in winters. Early spring and late autumn are the rainy seasons for the region. To this day Hamadan is a very popular retreat with Iranians during the warmer months when the climate in autumn and spring is one of the most pleasant in the country, but winters are long and sever.

Hagmataneh
Before going into a description of the historical monuments of Hamadan, and regarding the town’s rather prolonged history, the reader is reminded of two hills on which some of the most ancient remains can be seen even today, however not that much interesting: I) Hagmatana Hill, with ruins of the walls and ramparts of the Median and Achaemenian periods. Located in Ekbatan Street (north of Ekbatan Square), which is presently under archaeological excavations (see below); and 2) Mosalla Hill (now a park), situated in the east of Ayatollah Mofatteh Avenue, which is said to be the ancient site of Anahita Temple. According to some archaeologists, the site had been a Parthian stronghold, the remains of which could be seen until a few years ago, with parts of its ramparts visible even today.
The ruins of ancient Hagmatana, on the site of which the present Hamadan stands, date from the period of Median monarchs (7th and early 6th centuries BC) who had made that city their capital. Hagmatana was further developed under the Achaemenian and Parthian rulers and was known as the first capital of the ancient Persian Empire. Scientific excavations and accidental diggings for construction works have resulted in the discovery of numerous objects, including some gold and silver tablets, in the region. This indicates that the treasury of the Achaemenian monarchs was kept in Hagmatana and that the present Hamadan has been constructed upon apart of the site of the ancient city. In the old Sar Qal’eh, Qal’eh Shah, and Darab quarters, one could see the remains of a thick wall that once enclosed the Achaemenian Darius’ palace (521-486 BC). Some traces of the Haft Hissar Palace and the historic ancient rampart, sparsely found in the old citadel of Hagmatana bear witness to the grandeur of this capital of the Median and the Achaemenian periods. However, an adequate appreciation of this grandeur will only be possible when systematic scientific excavations are carried out in this area. So far, the discovery of the heads of a stone statue in the hillock Mosalla has proved the existence of an Ashkanian (Arsacid) fort on that hill. At all events, Hagmatana has been one of the important centers of the Sassanian period and has retained the same position in the Islamic era. There exists ample evidence in the history of Islamic period concerning its prosperity.

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Hamadan is one of the western and mountainous cities of Iran, which is located in Hamedan province and along Elburz Mountains and is 360 kilometers away from southwest of Tehran. It is one of the historical-cultural and touristic cities of Iran that was built in Medes period at eight century B.C. Medes named this city Hegamataneh, and Hamadan is the new name (face) for Hegmataneh. It is also considered as the history and civilization capital of Iran.

Hamadan has a cold climate. The dialect of the Hamadanian people is Farsi with Hamadani accent.

Some of the most famous and greatest poets, writers, and scientists of the Hamadan province are Baba Tahir Hamadani, Eynolghazat Hamadani, Seyyed Jamal ol Din Asadabadi, Mirzadeh Eshghi, Mostafa Rahmandoost, and Ayatollah Mohammad Mofatteh.

Historical Monuments

Tomb of Avicenna (Bu Ali Sina), famous Iranian scientist and medic
Tomb of Baba Tahir
Avicenna’s Mausoleum
Alavian Dome
Tomb of Esther and Mordechai
Sacrifice Tower
Ancient Hegmataneh Hill
Ganjnameh Inscriptions
Stone Lion Sculpture
The Ancient Bazaar of Hamadan
The Grand Mosque of Hamadan
Mosque of the Prophet
Presbyterian Church
Raphael Church
Imam Khomeini Square
Dokhtar Castle (Ghez Ghale)
Mosala Hill
Khidr Tomb
Tomb of Aref Qazvini
Qalamdani Serra

Tourist Centers

Ganjnameh telecabin in Hamadan.

The follwoing are among the natural and tourist spots of Hamadan: Ganjnameh telecabin, Abbasabad hill, Ganjnameh waterfall, Tarrik Darreh ski resort, Mosafa gardens in Mount Alvand domain specially Abbasabad and Heydareh and Emamzadeh Kooh valleys, Ekbatan dam, People’s park, Eram’s garden and amusement park.

Religious Monuments and Locations

Emamzadeh Abdollah, Emamzadeh Yahya, Emamzadeh Hossein, Emamzadeh Ismail (Mountain Shrine), Emamzadeh Hadi ibn Ali, Emamzadeh Ahl ibn Ali, ancient tomb of Emamzadeh Azhar, ancient tomb of Emamzadeh Hood.

Museums and Cultural Centers

Hamadan’s natural history museum, Hegmataneh museum, Avicenna shrine museum, Sacred Defense museum.

Hamadan’s Souvenirs

Pottery and ceramics, leather and leather products, carpets, Rugs and Jajims, Angosht Pich, spicy garlic, Sap milk, Maviz, grape sap, shortbread, yellow halwa, walnuts, pistachio shells jam, Dartol, Baslogh, Sheermal, mixture potion, rose jam, sweetbreads, and Kak.

Handcrafts

Handcrafts are rich with leather crafts, carpet weaving, and rug weaving. The role of Lalejin is of special importance as the major source of pottery and ceramics in Iran. Other active handcrafts in Hamadan include:

Wood carving
Wood inlaying
Coppersmithing and etching on copper
Jewelry, silver filigree, goldbeating, and silver beating and enamelling

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Welcome to Hamadan
Known in classical times as Ecbatana, Hamadan was once one of the ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little of antiquity remains, but significant parts of the city centre are given over to excavations and there is a scattering of historical curiosities.

Sitting on a high plain, Hamadan is graciously cool in August, but snow-prone and freezing cold from December to March. In the summer the air is often hazy, but on a rare, clear spring day there are impressive glimpses of snow-capped Mt Alvand (3580m) preening itself above the ragged neocolonial cupolas of Imam Khomeini Sq. A popular summer retreat, Hamadan’s main draw card for Iranian visitors is its proximity to the Ali Sadr Caves, but these are vastly over-rated./ lonelyplanet.com

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Hamadan province is one of the most ancient parts of Iran and its civilization. Relics of this area confirm this fact. Today’s Hamedan is what is left of Ecbatana, The Medes’ capital before they formed a union with the Persians. The poet Ferdowsi says that Ecbatana was built by King Jamshid.

According to historical records, there was once a castle in this city by the name of Haft Hessar (Seven Walls) which had a thousand rooms and its grandeur equalled that of the Babylon Tower.

The structures of city are related to Diya Aku, a King of the Medes from 700 BC. According to Greek records, this territory was called ‘Ekbatan’ and ‘Hegmataneh’ by this King, thus transformed into a huge capital.

During the Parthian era, Ctesiphon became capital of Persia, and Hamedan became the summer capital and residence of the Parthian rulers. After the Parthians, the Sassanids constructed their summer palaces in Hamedan as well.

In the year 633 when the war of Nahavand took place and Hamadan came into the hands of the invading Arabs, at times it thrived and at times it declined and witnessed hardships. During the Buwayhids, it suffered plenty of damages. In the 11th century, the Seljuks shifted their capital from Baghdad to Hamadan once again.

The city of Hamadan was always at risk during the rise and fall of powers. It was completely destroyed during the Timurid invasion. But during the Safavid era the city thrived once more. In the 18th century, Hamadan surrendered to the Ottomans, but Hamadan was retaken by Nader Shah Afshari, and under the peace treaty between Iran and the Ottomans it was returned to Iran.

The city of Hamadan lay on the Silk Road and even in recent centuries enjoyed good prospects in commerce and trade being on the main road network in the western region of Iran.

According to local Jewish traditions, the City of Hamedan is mentioned in the Bible, as the capital of Ancient Persia in the days of King Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther. It was then known as Shushan. The Tombs of Mordecai and Esther are located in modern-day Hamadan.

Other major cities of Hamadan province are: Hamadan, Toyserkan, Nahavand, Malayer, Asad Abad, Bahar, Famenin, Razan and Kabudrahang

The province lies in an elevated region, with the ‘Alvand’ mountains, running from the north west to the south west. These are part of the Zagros mountain range of Iran.

Hamadan enjoys temperate warm summers and relatively cold winters.

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